Month: April 2016

The fruit wine industry in NZ is coming of age. What used to be a hobby for back yard brewers is now a regulated and controlled industry. The New Zealand Fruit Wine Makers Association was formed in 1985 and holds annual competitions. These competitions are open to international competitors and to win an award is worth singing ones praises. Even more so when a wine receives the prestigious “Best Wine” award as well as gold, silver and bronze medals.

Tony Firmin is the winemaker and has consistently won awards year after year including twice over best wine. Below are some of the medals he has collected.

The wines available from White Goose Winery are not watered down. Samplers of the wine appreciate the fresh bouquet and rich depth of flavor which comes from using only pure fresh juice. The hand crafted fruit wine is made with passion which Tony and Jutta Firmin share with visitors to the “Wine Nest”.

White Goose Wines have been exported world wide. Recently “Sparkling Trinity” was the wine of choice at the ordination of the Roman Catholic Bishop attended by 3000 people in Vanuatu. Customers are also found in England, Hong Kong and Australia.

Fruit wine making is a craft that has been developed from early farmers need to preserve the surplus of fruit to a dedicated industry supplying approximately 4 million litres of wine a year in New Zealand.(NZ. maf stats). The wine is easily drunk ( sometimes too easily) and has a growing appeal.

Whilst grape wineries are experiencing an over supply internationally the increase in preference for fruit wine is being noted. White Goose Winery are interested to hear from other intending distributors locally and internationally.

White Goose Winery makes many award winning fruit wines that are perfect for any situation. Below you will find what wines we have to offer at the moment, and our prices. To place an order or to send us an email for any enquiries, simply click on the place an order button.

All prices include GST.

Courier freight North Island varies according to district, at cost

Courier freight South Island depending on weight, at cost.

Boysenberry Stillwine imageSweet to the taste, yet carries a distinctive touch of acidity, great colour and bouquet, a true reflection of summer ripe berries on a vine. A beautiful new wine, just as delicious as the previous Gold Medal Winner.

$14.95 per bottle
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Feijoa Stillwine imageDistinctly New Zealand. This wine has captured the true flavour of Feijoas, a perfect table wine, excellent with pork, chicken or fish. 2009 Gold Medal Winner and judged 2010 Best Feijoa Wine and 2010 Best Fruit Wine in New Zealand.

$14.95 per bottle
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Feijoa Sparkling Medium 2011 Best Feijoa Winewine imageDelicious, made with champagne yeast, a celebration wine for any occasion, sealed with natural cork to retain all the bubbles.

$15.95 per bottle
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Plum Wine .wine imageThe unmistakable bouquet of ripe plums brings back happy memories of sun drenched carefree childhood summers, enjoy its fruitiness to the full, serve over ice, or even with a slice of fruit cake.

$15.95
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Blueberry Still – Return of a Family Favouritewine imageA dry table wine with the same colour and remarkably similar to Pinot Noir. We have added brandy to add a little extra teasing of your palate.

$15.95 per bottle
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Strawberry Sparkling .wine imageA sweet sparkling wine made with ripe Bay of Plenty strawberries. Serve well chilled.

Whakatane wine connoisseurs developed such a taste for Tony and Jutta Firmin’s fruit wines the couple installed their own winery at their White Goose Orchard at Awakeri.

The Firmins have owned the orchard for nearly 30 years but they only began using their fruit for wine-making purposes 13 years ago, not long before they opened their restaurant.

They grow strawberries, blueberries and feijoas to make both still and sparkling wines but Tony is halfway through planting a block of blackberries and he’s also put in 75 plum trees with more on order for next year.

Until recently the wine was made on the Firmin’s behalf by other wineries but Tony studied for his certificate in wine production by correspondence a couple of years ago while his daughter and her husband ran the restaurant.

Now he has received the go-ahead from the local authorities, and the Customs Department to make his own wine.

He has brought in equipment from Italy and although he describes his operation as just a “boutique winery” he says the machinery he’s using is the same as that used by the bigger wineries only on a smaller scale.

“One piece of equipment doesn’t look that large but it’s capable of crushing and mincing between 800 to 1000 kilos of fruit an hour.”

Tony says to begin with he will he trying to meet local demand for his fruit wines without worrying about the export market.

“At this stage we can’t make enough for our customers and we’re temporarily out of stock of both blueberry sparkling and feijoa still wine although I’m hoping to have some more bottled for Christmas.

Although the Firmins don’t export their wine some of it still ends up overseas.

A visitors’ book at the restaurant has been signed in recent weeks by customers from all over the world and Tony says many have bought a bottle or two to take home with them.

“Strawberry wine is the most popular followed closely by feijoa.”

Tony says he and Jutta have been invited to display their wines at a Food and Wine Fair near Auckland next month and with thousands expected to attend Tony says it will hopefully help promote Whakatane as well as their product. The English-born grandfather, who has been a sales rep and sharemilker in the past as well as orchardist and restaurateur, says he’s very excited at this new direction life is taking. “It just goes to prove that you’re never too old to change your career!”

Welcome to White Goose Winery. Home of Feijoa, Plum and Berry Fruit wines, Whakatane’s first boutique winery established in 1983. At White Goose Winery, Tony and Jutta Firmin offer a selection of white, red still and sparkling fruit wines.

Our wine captures not only the natural essence of the fruit but the spirit of sun drenched environment. Available from here.

The winemaker’s award winning skill produces a wide variety of fruit wines using only 100% pure juice from luscious fruits full of summer flavors. To see some of our awards click here.

The winery is located within the clean and green fertile region of the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. The “Wine Nest” operates as our cellar door for tasting tours and personal sales. Contact us for any enquiries.

Savor the Flavor.

“No longer drink only water but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments”